Boxing, Olympics, Mary Kom - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

ANSWER: Speed climbing

Explanation:
With a winning time of under 7 seconds, speed climbing can claim to be the Olympic Games' fastest sport.

Speed climbing is one of five sports that have been included in the programme for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics along with baseball/softball, bowling, karate, surfing and skateboarding.

Italy's Ludivico Fossali won the men's event after Russian Stanislav Kokorin committed a false start.

But in the small final it was a much closer affair with Italian Leonardo Gontero winning in a time of 6.25 seconds, beating Russian Aleksandr Shikov by three hundredths of a second.

In the women's event, France's Anouk Jaubert was triumphant in the final, beating Mariia Krasavina of Russia.

ANSWER: India

Explanation:
Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture and Tourism has announced that 8th edition of the greatest carnival of Theatre in the World will take place in India for the first time ever from February 17 – April 08, 2018.

It will take place simultaneously in various cities across the country.

There will be 500 plays & 700 ambience performances from across the world and Allied activities like exhibitions, seminars, symposia, interactive discussions and workshops with well-known academicians, authors, actors, designers and directors will be held.

Leading luminaries of world theatre will take part.

In a development that puts India firmly among the top nations in the world theatre map, the country is all set to host the next edition of the prestigious Theatre Olympics.

Established in 1993, the Theatre Olympics is the foremost international theatre festival.

It presenting the finest productions of well-known theatre practitioners from around the world.

Theatre Olympics: Know More

• The Theatre Olympics, being held in India for the first time, is being organised by National School of Drama, under the aegis of Ministry of Culture.
• The country’s tryst with the biggest celebration of theatre in the world will take place from February 17 till April 08, 2018 and will be held in 15 cities across India.
• It was also announced that the inaugural ceremony of the Theatre Olympics will take place in New Delhi.
• The Theatre Olympics 2018 will be the 8th edition of the event and will feature maximum number of Indian & International theatre groups, invitee eminent theatre personalities along with their performances.
• In addition, there will be ambience performances with allied activities like exhibitions, seminars, symposia, interactive discussions and workshops with well-known academicians, authors, actors, designers and directors.
• The Theatre Olympics was established in 1993 in Delphi, Greece, as the first international theatre festival.
• With the tagline ‘Crossing Millennia’, this is an initiative to connect the cultural past with the present and future, bringing the richness and diversity of theatre heritage to the experiments and research of contemporary theatre.
• The first country to host the Theatre Olympics was Greece in 1995. Japan hosted the second edition in Shizuoka in 1999, followed by Russia in 2001.
• In 2006 the Olympics were held in Istanbul, Turkey and four years later, in 2010 in Seoul, South Korea. China hosted them in Beijing in 2014.
• In 2016 the 7th Theatre Olympics were held in Wroclaw, Poland. India is all set to join this illustrious list as it plays host to the 8th edition of this global event.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Sachin Singh on 27^th Nov 2016 became the third Indian boxer to bag the gold medal at the AIBA Youth World Championships.

The tournament was held in St. Petersburg Russia.

Sachin recorded a victory over Cuban national champion Jorge Grinan in the 49 kg weight class.

Sachin defeated his rival 5-0 to record an Indian triumph.

The 16-year-old joined Thokchom Nanano Singh (2008) and Vikas Krishnan (2010) as a winner of this gold medal.

India finished the tournament with one gold and bronze.

Naman Tanwar had settled for a bronze in the 91 kg after losing in the semifinal.

In 2014, India secured just a bronze medal.

BFI or Boxing Federation of India announced cash prizes and incentives for the two winners.

Boxing Federation of India

• President : Ajay Singh, Spicejet’s Chairman and MD
• Secretary General: Jay Kowli, won the post in Sept 2016
• Previous federation Boxing India was dissolved after a revolt by state units

ANSWER: Both of the above

Explanation:
Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik earned 2016 Rio Olympics quota spots in wrestling, as they entered the final of 2nd Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.

• This is the first time two female Indian wrestlers will compete at the Olympics.
• While Vinesh earned the spot in 48 kg, Sakshi earned quota in the 58 kg.

ANSWER: MC Mary Kom

Explanation:
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani conferred a honorary degree to Olympian and 5 time boxing world champion MC Mary Kom. Degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris cause) of NEHU was awarded to Mary Kom in recognition of her massive achievement in sports

• The first lady UPSC chairman Rose Milliam Bathew was also honoured for contribution in the concerned field
• The degrees were conferred at the 23rd convocation of NEHU.

ANSWER: World Championships

Explanation:
In a massive boost for 4 Indian boxers, the International Olympics Committee conferred scholarships on the sportsman namely World Championships bronze medallist Shiva Thapa, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Mandeep Jangra, and Sumit Sangwan as well as Gaurav Bidhuri. While Bidhuri finished with an impressive performance at the World Series of Boxing, Sumit won a silver medal at the 2010 Asian Championships. A sum of USD 800 per month will be given to them as part of the scholarship along with USD 5,000 provided they qualify for the Olympics.

ANSWER: Bob Foster

Explanation:
Bob Foster, former light heavyweight champion who combated Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali and became a sheriff’s deputy died at the age of 77 on 21st November 2015. Foster was the third greatest light heavyweight champion and had 14 title defences before he retired in the 1970s. He was indicted into International Boxing Hall of Fame’s first class in 1990. He also won the title of the Boxing Writer’s Association of America Fighter of the year in 1968.

ANSWER: Shiva Thapa

Explanation:
Indian boxer Shiva Thapa was on 3rd November 2015 ranked world number 2 in the latest global rankings in the 56 kg category moving up by 5 places compared to previous rankings. Top spot was occupied by Michael Conlan from Ireland with 2150 points. Thapa got 1550 points. The next top ranking Indian boxer was Vikas Krishan Yadav.

ANSWER: Michael Conlan

Explanation:
Michael Conlan became the first Irish boxer to win an AIBA World Boxing Championship title. Belfast based Conlan who is a EU and Commonwealth Champion won against Uzbekistan's Murodjon Akhmadaliev. During the championship, another record was also set when Cuban boxer Joahnys Argilagos won gold, aged just 18 beating Russia's Vasili Egorov.

ANSWER: Three

Explanation:
Savita (50kg), Mandeep Sandhu (52kg) and Sakshi (54kg) struck gold for the country, while Soniya (48kg) and Niharika Gonella (70kg) settled for silver medals.